In many cases, companies default to cubicle overhauls that require a lot of moving parts: rewiring cables, moving employees to temporary workstations and an install crew that comes in after hours to do the installation.

Our desk and table mount privacy panels give you a seamless solution that reduces work interruptions and, in many cases, can be installed by your team with only minor inconveniences.

In theory, this sounds great, but you should take a moment to think about all the aspects of an installation, no matter how easy it may seem.

Are the new mounts adjustable and will they damage existing furniture? How easy are adjustments? What size options are there? Are there color options? What’s the warranty?

We’ll cover each of these topics in the next few minutes.

Simple, Fluid Privacy Panel Installation

Our mounts work with desks between ¾-of-an-inch thick to 2.5 inches thick, which means there’s a good chance we can find a solution for your existing furniture.

The clamps we use to secure our privacy panels are designed well and don’t damage your furniture. It takes about five minutes to install them with an Allen wrench we provide.

Our mounts also feature channels that can work side-to-side or front-to-back.

Versatile Panel Sizes and Colors

Our panels for desks and tables come in three different heights and eight different widths. We can also create custom sizes for you.

We also offer 12 different frame colors so you can stick with the office color-palate or add variation.

If you want to cut down on sound transfer between workspaces, acoustical panels are a good choice. They come in 20 different types of fabrics. And, just like our ability to customize panel sizes, we can also customize panel colors.

Sound Transmission Class

This last concept is an indication of how effective our panels are. A product’s STC rating is a measurement of how much sound is lost when it passes through a wall or a panel.

A reduction of 10 decibels is actually heard as a 50% reduction in noise levels.

Our acoustical tile panels have an STC rating of 26, which means your employees will note a significant reduction in ambient noise as soon as your panels are installed.

A First-Hand Look at a Panel Installation

As we mentioned earlier, our panels are a simple, elegant solution for increasing the privacy of your office’s workspaces.

Our website includes a series of videos that show just how easy installation is. Here is one of those videos:

This video highlights the greatest advantage to using OBEX to increase your office’s audio and visual privacy. It’s a fantastic alternative to tearing down and rebuilding a cubicle, which costs hundreds of dollars in labor costs.

And that cost doesn’t factor in the down time for rerouting cables and moving computers, cables and keyboards.

All of this creates stress and reduced productivity. It’s labor-intensive, it’s disruptive and there aren’t many companies who can do installations during normal working hours.

Some Final Thoughts About Table and Desk Privacy Panels

If you’re new to privacy panels, the solutions may seem unbelievably simple – and they are.

We’ve put a lot of time into finding solutions for our clients that help them keep the ship running smoothly as we install their panels.

The result is a line of desk and table privacy panels with a wide range of sizes, colors and customizable options that easily integrate our products into your office’s existing design themes.

If you have any questions about our panels, customizations or the installation process contact us by email or give us a call at (888)323-6986.

A few months ago we talked about the differences between a more traditional office environment and the open spaces emphasized in today’s startup world.

At the end of that post, we made this observation:

“Different things work for different people. This is why the debate about whether Open Office Plans Vs. Cubicles, Which is Better?, will continue to rage on in the office world and studies will continue to show conflicting data on the subject.”

As you can see, we don’t really take sides in this debate; it’s all about what works best for your team and your vision. This is one reason why our Gallery is full of different styles of dividers, extenders and partitions that provide the stylistic and functional touches to work in just about any office.

We want to take a closer look at some of those items today to help you understand what’s possible in the space you’re designing. Choosing the right combination of products can complement the environment you want to create in your workspace and meeting rooms.

Our Gallery features four different types of panels: cubicle panel extenders, desk-mounted privacy panels, split-screen panels and desk-mounted modest panels. Today we’re going to tackle two of these categories.

Cubicle Panel Extenders

One of the things we like to emphasize is that panels reduce noise and distractions, giving employees added privacy. The end result is employees are more productive. And we all know productivity boosts morale.

Our panel extenders are a good option for offices looking to add a little extra privacy to their cubicles without the hassle of having to redo the walls on every single desk. As the name indicates, these panels are extensions to existing partitions between desks.

Adding them to each workstation is a simple task and the end result is well worth it.

But the idea of adding extra privacy to each workspace in your office may seem a little draconian to some workers who prefer a more relational and open work environment. We get that, because we’ve learned companies are living organisms that change and adapt as time and generations come and go.

So, part of our product line includes clear extenders that do an effective job of creating privacy and sound reduction while at the same time maintaining an open workplace. We think this is a great choice for companies that want to create a sense of open space while simultaneously protecting the privacy and production of their employees.

If your workforce tends to be more old-school, we’ve got plenty of solid extenders that augment the autonomy of individual workspaces. If you want a middle ground between clear and solid, our opaque extenders are an excellent choice, too.

Desk Mounted Extenders

The purpose of extenders remains the same here – to reduce sound and increase privacy. But what you’ll notice in our Gallery is that our desk extenders provide all kinds of options for open and closed office areas.

What you’ll notice is that these extenders attach directly to your desks rather than to existing partitions. This is a key distinction, because as the photos in our Gallery show, desk extenders give you a lot more open space under the desk.

This setup creates a sense of unity and interconnectedness in your office, factors that are important to employees who value an open workspace.

Desk-mounted extenders also give you two options for your desks: side mounts and rear mounts. Take a look at the photos on the left to get a sense of what we mean.

On the one hand, you’ve got desks lined up front to back, so rear-mounted extenders provide the privacy you’re looking for.

On the other hand, you can choose side-mounted extenders for desks that are lined up side-by-side. As you can see, our extenders aren’t meant to isolate but to integrate a series of side-by-side desks.

In our own research of burgeoning office trends, we’ve found that this type of setup is great for companies who have small, tight-knit departments. Employees have their own defined space, but the extenders are low enough to where they can easily collaborate with team members next to them.

Deciding Which Option is Best for Your Office

Which extender is right for you depends on your particular situation. Head over to our Contact Us page and let us know what your plans are for the future and how your furniture and extenders play a role in that. In the meantime, stop by our Gallery to get a sense of what your office could look like with our help!

Everyone works differently. Each person will approach a task with a diverse and unusual array of tools, techniques, requirements, downfalls, and advantages to see it completed. With that in mind, working collaboratively can be a burden rather than a help.

An open office is made to encourage communication and interaction, all with the aim to boost productivity, but for some, the sound and activity can actually do the opposite. This gets turned up to eleven when general activity isn’t the only enemy – a particularly noisy coworker is. You know, the kind who likes to read aloud, take their calls on speaker, or even approaches conversations with a voice of utter thunder.

You can’t let this problem harm your productivity, but there are better ways to avoid the distraction besides hoping for a change in their personality or even a transfer. Do you have a noisy coworker? Here are three tips for getting past this obstacle and staying productive.

1. Listen to Other Things For many, the issue is not sound, but noise.

You may be able to ignore the intense sound of a storm outside your window, but the noisy conversation of two nearby coworkers can completely distract you, preventing your concentration on the work at hand. The simple answer is to substitute the distracting noise with something your mind can more easily ignore.

– Music.

Studies have proven that music in fact helps people concentrate; it allows your brain to limit the number of distractions in the environment to a single sound, and then manage that distraction. With this in affect, more brain power can be devoted to what actually matters. Instrumental music is especially favorable, as our minds do not interpret soft piano or violin in the same way it does voices – a sound that is made to draw our attention and keep our attention. In this way, Mozart becomes a much better working companion than the employee next to you, because at least he knows how to stay objective.

– Rain sounds and white noise.

In the same way music helps limit our distractions and fill our ears with something easily ignored, white noise provides a healthy substitute to voices. White noise is specifically sounds such as running water, rain, wind, and so on, which are so normal that they’reeasily dismissed. This can also apply to a simple desk fan or an air purifier that will supply dull noise, but a pair of headphones can be even more efficient. Some rain
sounds can help to not only block outside noises, but also create a more tranquil mood that allows you to focus and complete your task.

2. Get Out of Dodge

Sometimes the best approach is the most direct approach, and if you are one of those people who find music and white noise as distracting as the noisy coworker, you may need to take the situation by the reins and find a more obvious solution.

– Ask your manager to move you to a different space. Your productivity level benefits or harms the entire business, so if you’re suffering from distractions and are unable to deliver the necessary work, your manager is suffering too. By approaching your boss and letting them know that a noisy coworker– who may or may not be named – is making it difficult to work, they can move you to another area, eliminating the problem with advantages for not only you but the entire company.

– Get to work early or stay late.

Midday is known as the most prime hours for work, as the sun is high, the sleepiness of the morning has faded, and the afternoon lull has yet to set in. Because of this, you might find your noisy coworker is a lot less active and a lot less loud in the mornings while everyone is still easing into the day. This makes it an ideal time for you to begin your projects, allowing you to complete vital tasks that require concentration before the distracting person arrives. Additionally, while no one likes staying late, if you continue to work after your coworker has gone home, you’ll have a quiet office that allows you to keep your priorities in order, leaving the noisy midday for less important tasks or even some web-surfing.

3. Take Action

If these more docile solutions have not earned a result, or perhaps they simply aren’t your style, you can always resort to the fastest, most direct, and – nine times out of time – most effective solution.

– Ask them to quiet down. While there are certainly people who must have a patent on being obnoxious, many others are unaware they’re being so noisy. Perhaps they have an unusually loud voice, think that communicating on speaker boosts productivity, or that everyone works in a loud environment as well as they do. In these cases, they are simply trying to do their job well and do not realize they are preventing you from doing the same. By simply mentioning the problem to them and asking them to lower their loud activities, the entire situation can be resolved.

– Ask a manager to speak with them. If you find confrontation as appealing as walking on hot coals, or your coworker does indeed have a patent on being obnoxious, the next best step is to bring the issue to the attention of your manager. At this point, your manager can speak with the employ with a certain degree of authority, resolving the problem that may have caused derision or confrontation between two employees of equal status.

Noisy co-workers are as helpful for productivity as a one-man-band in your living room is helpful for sleeping, but there’s no reason to accept an inability to focus. By applying a few of these three tips, you can see the problem resolved, your productivity boosted, and perhaps a better workplace environment – since everyone else can also enjoy a reprieve from the noise. If the noise is still unbearable, you may want to look into cubicle extenders or panels. OBEX Office Panel Extenders offers a large variety of office panel extenders to fit any cubicle or desk.

New techniques, tools, and methods for boosting employee productivity are being discussed, argued, and decided on every day. One tool in particular is being hailed as an effective method of helping employees avoid distractions, feel more comfortable in their work environment, and work harder – producing work that is fast, efficient, and quality. The tool in question is privacy panels; compact and often stylish boards that make each individual desk into a working office without the impersonal look of a cubicle.

Here are five ways that privacy panels can make employees work harder, work better, and work happier:

1. Less Visual Distraction

No matter your working style, the human mind is designed to pick up and respond to movement in our area, even if it has nothing to do with you. Some argue this is an engrained cultural habit brought on by many flashy billboards, colorful screens, and constant entertainment, while others say it is a primal trait designed to keep us alert to predators or nearby danger. No matter the origin of this habit, as a worker, you’ll naturally be distracted by a coworker rising to copy a paper, retrieve a cup of coffee, or signal to another coworker. Although there’s very little entertainment value in these visual distractions and your coworker is probably not a tiger is disguise, trying to keep your attention on your work with these little disruptions is difficult.

The quality and speed of your work production relies on your ability to focus and build momentum, completing more tasks at a faster rate. By installing privacy panels around your desk, you are able to block out these little things catching the corners of your eyes and focus solely on your working tasks. This will boost productivity as well as the quality of work you can create.

2. Less Noise Distraction

While privacy panels mainly serve as a visual block, they also block a certain amount of sound. Although you won’t be spared the noise of a coworker shouting across the office to signal another employee, the small clicking of fellow keyboards, your coworker gathering together their paperwork, or the shifting of chairs on the floor will be canceled out. So if a coworker seems to be taking out their passive aggression on their innocent keyboard one annoying clank at a time, a privacy panel can dull this distraction – if not eliminate it entirely. This may seem like a small advantage, but your ability to block out all forms of distraction to focus your mind on your work will make a significant different in your productivity.

3. A Sense of Privacy

Privacy panels serve to seclude you and your desk away from the rest of the office, and by doing so, make you feel secluded in your personal area. With this new solitude, you can focus on your tasks and complete projects, knowing that there will not be a curious coworker glancing over at your computer screen or a bored intern wanting to watch you work.

Additionally, privacy panels serve as a visual barrier between you and your coworkers, encouraging them to leave you to your work, rather than disturb you. You are less likely to enter your boss’s office if the door is shut, and this same instinct will be placed on fellow coworkers with the panel’s advantage. When you settle down at your desk for the day, having this block tells them that you’re not to be disturbed. This can prevent a bored employee from deciding to stop by for a chat when you have a deadline, or a well-meaning coworker interrupting you with matters that could be handled at another time. This allows you to focus for longer periods and complete more.

With this peace of mind of knowing you have reliable privacy, you can shut off that portion of your mind that expects to be distracted at any moment. This reserve — similar to the mental trait that makes your eyes sharp to catch sight of a stalking tiger — ends up becoming a distraction of its own, and a privacy panel eliminates the issue.

4. Customized Work Space

Privacy panels, though minimal, serve as a set of walls between you and your coworker’s office space – creating a small and efficient “office” of your own. With this new privacy and sense of ownership, you can feel free to add personal decorations to your area without fear of disturbing other workers. These personal touches are known for boosting productivity, as they make workers feel more comfortable in their space; this confidence allows them to think creativity and concentrate on their work. These decorations can vary from family photos on their desk to large cat posters on the panels to a range of hanging lights or trinkets.

This also serves the rest of the office, as these little accessories are hidden from view and do not provide distraction for other workers. Perhaps your coworker has that trademark “Hang in There,” cat poster that grates on your nerves; there’s no need to suffer the sight of that every work day. Each employee will have the ability to customize their own personal office space, and not be distracted by each other’s additions.

5. Wall Space

Privacy panels, in addition to serving as stand-in walls for customization, can also serve as wall space for work-enhancing objects. You can place corkboards on the panels to schedule out the day’s work or place important reminders, or charts which gauge the progress and tasks of a recent project. Additionally, the barrier allows employees to place file cabinets near their desks without degrading the look or style of the office as a whole. Then they can store important files, objects, and tools to continue their work without having to pause and retrieve these items from another location.

This simple addition to any office space can make an employee’s work day more productive and far more enjoyable, benefitting the business and the workforce combined.

It’s a well-known fact that different colors influence mood, behavior and feelings. All colors have a psychological affect on everyone, whether you’re aware of it or not. People also make different decisions and choices based on the color of their immediate environment. The colors you choose for your business help with the behavior of your employees and clients alike.

Color choice should play an important role in decorating an office space in particular, because of the impact it has on employee’s productivity rate, interaction with other co-workers and on the general mood of everyone in the work place. There are different ways to play with color tones and accents to get the effect desired, but there is one steadfast rule to remember when decorating; over-use of any one color has a negative, and sometimes, an opposite effect than what was originally desired. That being said, here are some tips on choosing a color for an office to bring about the most positive working environment for your business:

Strong, bright colors of any shade will energize, whereas the softer shades of pastel will calm and soothe.

Blue’s and green’s aid in decision-making, and it’s also good for keeping a calm atmosphere.

Subdued orange and peach create a warm, welcome feeling; a great choice for lobbies and reception areas, but it can create a chatty feeling in a workplace.

Too much yellow can cause more anxiety in a stressful workplace, but small amounts can increase productivity.

Using too much red can cause aggressive type feelings.

Turquoise creates a creative, communicative atmosphere.

To balance out the effect of any color, use a color that compliments it, i.e., blue with yellow, red with green, etc.

If you place to upgrade your work place with privacy panels or custom extenders, Obex Panel can help you with any color scheme you choose. From custom panels to the many fabrics and colors that are already in stock, Obex will be happy assist you with choosing the right product to satisfy your needs.

To see how Obex can save you time and money with easy-to-install extenders and panels, please feel free to contact us.

This would be a perfect reason to consider installing a table mount in your office space, or several table mounts, if the area calls for it. Some office spaces are certainly larger than others. There are many benefits to adding table mounts, some of which have already been mentioned. In addition, it is a known fact that when people are working in close quarters, they are going to either become very close friends; or they are going to clash. Either way, it doesn’t make for a good office situation, and in turn, decreases overall productivity. If you become friends with the person you are confined with, there will typically be random conversations that have no business entering the office. It may be talk of what happened last night or what shows are all the rage this season. On the other hand, if you clash; then every little detail that’s overheard could be a cause for scrutiny. What’s worse, this could end up costing one or both of your jobs.

If you feel like us here at OBEX, and you know what great things could come from installing table mounts in your office; contact us for more information. We will be happy to assist you with making your office more productive.

While the definition of poor work performance changes, the causes of the performance gap seem to be universal no matter the industry, company, job description, or typical group of people. Some causal factors of low or high performance are employee – centric issues and others are organization issues. These tend to overlap. Most issues are influenced by both the employee and the organization. For example, if Employee A’s manager asks him why he has only been averaging seventy – five phone calls per hour, he could hear one or both of the following reasons:

Example #1: “I am distracted because my wife is due to have a baby. Every time I hear a phone ring I think it is her calling to tell me that she is going to the hospital.”

Example #2: “My coworkers are bothering me. The one on my left keeps laughing really loud and the one on my right asks me a question every few minutes. I can’t concentrate on my own calls with all of these interruptions.”

The first example is an employee issue. His life at home is leaking into his life at work. In other words his work / life balance is off. The organization can do little to help him. He is in control of how distracted he is or is not. Example #2 is an organization issue. Because of the way the office set up its employees right next to each other, and because of the managers’ ineffectiveness to keep his coworkers quiet and train the rookies, he is distracted by factors he can’t control. Because companies have little to no influence on what is happening in the employees’ life that might cause disruptions, they have to focus on the organization’s factors. Below are the top five causes of poor work performance, specifically ones that companies can cause or allow to happen, and therefore they are the ones that can be fixed.

Lack of sound privacy. Every worker is unique. Employee A might be productive when there is loud music in the background. That same music might be distracting and annoying to Employee B. Employee A could train himself to hear his coworkers conversations as simple white noise in the background while Employee B can’t help but listen intently to whatever is being said. Additional noises such as tapping on computer keyboards and squeaking chairs are also big distractions. This cause can be fixed with additional partitions and noise-cancelling headphones.

Lack of visual privacy. No employees have reported that they like it when someone is looking over their shoulder. Those who have their desks set up right in their manager’s line of sight say that adds additional, unnecessary stress. Managers typically think that their presence makes employees more productive but the result is the exact opposite. Workers are less likely to play online games and surf social media sites when someone can easily see them, but studies show that does not improve work performance.

Lack of personal space /Overcrowding. Open office models typically put four to ten people around one table. They each have their own chair, their own computer, and their own basic office supplies like pens, but nothing else belongs to them. They are literally bumping elbows and they do not have the opportunity to make the space their own. No pictures of their kids and their pets, no calendar with quotes from their favorite comedian or politicians, and no jar of their favorite candy. When an employee feels “at home” at work, he works better. Companies need to give employees the opportunity to personalize their space.

Inability to control the environment. An employee who is shivering because he is cold, or sweating because he is hot, is an ineffective worker. The same employees need to be able to adjust the curtains or shades on the windows when the sun is getting in their eyes. He needs a chair that can be adjusted up and down, left and right, and is not different the next day because someone else sat in it after he did.

Second – guessing, or excessive mistakes due to poor training. A company’s first priority should be making sure that their employees are well trained. That way they will not be interrupting each other with questions, or doing their own work slowly because they are struggling to remember what to do next or how to do it.

Those same employees agree across the board that the open office model does get them more face – time with their coworkers. However, they also report the following negative consequences of it: lack of sound privacy, lack of visual privacy, overcrowded workspaces and an inability to control their personal space / environment. Only twenty five percent, that is one in four workers in the United States, say that they work in the ideal environment for peak job performance. The causes of poor work performance are not a problem for that twenty percent because they have sound privacy, visual privacy, and their workspaces are not overcrowded. Companies must prioritize and invest in creating these ideal environments not only for their employees but for the business at large.

In 1967, two designers, Robert Propst and Herman Miller ventured to improve the privacy and lower the buzzing level of confusing distraction that office workers had been living with. They invented what they called, the “action office.” Recognizing that people are more productive working within their own territorial enclave that they can personalize, the inventers found a way of making walls around desks to provide flexible mini-office spaces.

Propst’s concept was to structure desk space with two or three-sided vertical divisions that defined a territory and provided walls for privacy and without hindering the ability of workers to view and participate with others. These walls were are also entirely flexible and adaptable allowing for multipurpose use. The idea of the “action office” was nearly universally adopted by 2005.

The desk mount allows offices to construct privacy spaces around the structure of individual desks flexibly and without damaging the furniture itself. Desk mounted privacy panels easily attach to the desks themselves using special mounts. They come in a variety of custom colors, frames and fabrics to enhance and match any office décor. The desk mount system quickly transforms open office designs into mini-office space which a person can call their own.

The carrel structure afforded by these desk-mounted panels also provides privacy for study in libraries or special classrooms or test-taking environments. Recent studies have shown that students with certain forms of learning disability function much better within structures defined by carrel spaces that cut off peripheral distraction.

This year marks 45 years since the invention of the “action office.” The concept has revolutionized the work environment of millions of busy offices. OBEX desk mounted panels can improve any open office environment. Please contact us to explore the options we offer.

When Robert Propst developed the concept of the cubicle, he had specific ideas for the perfect office space:

“Conceived as an alternative to open workrooms that lacked privacy or personality, its modular elements could be customized to accommodate employees’ changing needs. “Action Office,” as the cubicle and its components were officially called, was the invention of Robert Propst, a brilliant artist/inventor.”

You can reclaim the freedom and productivity dreamed by the inventor of the cubicle with all the benefits of 21st century style with the help of OBEX. Redesigning and customizing your office does not have to be a costly endeavor with tons of new furniture. Here are ways to keep your office looking professional and functioning well for each employee:

Desk and table mounts: Turn any desk or table into a cubicle easily and efficiently with pieces that mount directly on your existing furniture. We offer different sizes, so you can create the space you need, whether you need the extra height to clip a lamp to increase desktop space or need an extra sound barrier to reduce noise levels for phone calls.

Cubicle panel mounts: If you already have some cubicle dividers, you can customize your office space with panel mounts. You can get the extra height you need, as well as add to the decor. We offer a variety of styles and colors, so you will be able to create the perfect functional and fashionable office space.

If you are ready to reinvent your office space, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.

As companies grow and work forces expand, there is a growing need for partitioning space. However, creating private work areas for increasing staff can be a challenge, especially in offices with limited square footage and preexisting furniture.

Budget – Using desk mounts is a solution that is very cost effective. Designer fees, new furniture prices, moving expenses, real estate fees and other costs associated with more drastic solutions are extremely high. However with desk mounts, the price is limited to the product.

Ease of Installation – Desk mounts come with simple hardware, including the frame, the tile and a clamp, as well as the tools necessary for installation, which is usually just and allen wrench. Most desk mounts are easily installed by the customer themselves in a matter of minutes.

Compatibility – With various sizes and adjustable clamps and rotating channels, desk mounts are compatible with almost any existing desk and work space configuration. They range in from 12″ to 24″ inches in height and 24″ to 72″ in widths Plus, custom sizes can also be ordered.

Variation – In order to fit into any office style, desk mounts are available in multiple colors, styles and materials. You can choose from many colors or select a custom color. Tiles come framed or unframed as well as clear, translucent or opaque.

Privacy – Desk mounts create privacy in a communal workplace by blocking views as well as sound. There are tiles that are both acoustical and polycarbonate. Each of which comes in many fabrics and styles.

Purchasing new furniture, moving to a large space or re-positioning entire walls to create separate offices are not only costly endeavors but are not usually desirable. The ideal situation is one in which people are close enough to work together effectively but also have the benefit of privacy when they need it. Desk mounts are the perfect way to achieve this balance.